Complications
by Jeanny
Summary: After fighting with Anya, Xander heads to Los Angeles and winds up receiving something that was meant for Angel...and then it gets complicated. Buffy/Angel Crossover. (AU Season 6, the same universe as Who's Your Daddy) **COMPLETE**
1. How the Game Starts

Title: Complications (Frankie's Story)

Author: Jeanny

Spoilers: Through the End of Season 5 - Takes place in an AU Season 6

Rating: PG-13

Feedback: Yes, please! jeannygrrl@hotmail.com

Distribution: Go ahead, I don't mind, just credit me and tell me where it's going.

Summary: After fighting with Anya, Xander heads to Los Angeles and winds up receiving something that was meant to hurt Angel...and then it gets complicated. Buffy/Angel Crossover.

Disclaimer: Joss & Co. own just about all these characters. I'm only playing in their sandbox with a few of my own toys.

Author's Note: This is the Frankie Story alluded to in Who's Your Daddy, but you don't need to read that story to understand this one. This story is AU for that universe. Buffy is alive, but she's lost her Slayer powers.

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The vase smashed against the wall, ceramic pieces falling into Xander's hair. He grimaced as Anya covered her face with her hands, still shaking.

"Ooooh! You make me so mad, Xander! If I still had my powers..." Up till that moment, Xander had been putting all his energies into trying to calm down his jittery fiancee. The wedding planning had been stressful for both of them, and it was natural for it to flare up now and then. But he simply couldn't believe she was threatening him with her past vengeance demon powers. Again. After all this time. His own temper boiled over, surprising them both.

"What would you do to me, Anya? Have my entrails eaten by rats? Make sure I went prematurely bald? Curse me with dull razors for life? Full House reruns on the television always and forevermore? What? Tell me!" Anya's mouth dropped open for a moment in shock, but she quickly recovered. When she spoke it was in a quieter tone.

"I wouldn't do anything to you, you're overreacting-"

"I'm not overreacting, Anya! You're the one who overreacts to everything! You threaten me with your demon past every time we fight. I've had it. I keep waiting for you to get over losing them, but I'm thinking that's never going to happen."

"So what are you saying, Xander?"

"I'm saying...I'm saying I'm tired. You're never going to come to terms with being mortal."

"But...I was a vengeance demon for over a thousand years, Xander. I've been human for less than five. It's who I was, so it's part of who I am. I thought you understood that." Xander could hear something in Anya's voice, but he still wanted...to be right. Just once he wanted to win.

"I do, but-"

"Get out." The raw pain in her voice startled Xander. No anger, just hurt. Hurt that he'd caused. He felt suddenly numb and unable to think clearly. He clung to the hope that he'd misheard her.

"What?"

"I said, get out. Go away. I don't want to see you. Just...just leave me alone!" There was no misunderstanding, it was all very clear. But Xander felt completely unable to move. Anya grabbed her coat and purse in a sudden flurry of movement. He could hear the beginning of sobs in her harsh breathing.

"You won't go? Then I will. Goodbye, Xander." The door had never shut with such finality. Xander's knees buckled, and he sat hard on the couch. He stared unblinking at the wall until the phone rang. Hope leapt in his heart as he dived for it. *She's sitting downstairs, waiting for me to follow, calling on her cell phone, she wants to work it out, she-*

"Anya?"

"Xander?" Giles sounded a bit puzzled. "I thought you and Anya were together this evening."

"We were. She left. Something you need, Giles?" Xander asked flatly.

From the long pause before Giles spoke again, he could tell the Watcher knew something was very wrong, but was unsure how to broach the subject if Xander didn't mention it first. Xander had no intention of talking about Anya with Giles or anyone else right now. He would figure it out on his own first, and let her cool down, and then they would talk and it would be okay. He told himself all of these things when he was waiting for Giles to speak again, and he believed none of them. The truth was something was very, very wrong, and had been for quite some time, and he had no idea how to fix it.

"Yes, well, it seems like I might have found something in one of the texts I received from the Council. Might have some bearing on our current situation." Despite his depression Xander sat up straighter. The current situation that Giles had alluded to was Slayer-related, and therefore took precedence.

"That's good...it is good, right?" Xander had picked up something in Giles' tone, something that gave him a feeling his bad night was about to get worse.

"Yes, it's quite good. The answer to our problem might very well be contained in this particular passage."

"You know, you didn't say 'but', so why did I hear it anyway?" Xander pressed wearily. Giles sighed uncomfortably.

"You're quite correct, Xander. There is a bit of a catch, and I'm rather abashed."

"I'm not touching the abashed part. Tell me about the catch," Xander prompted.

"The demon language used is rather obscure. I've been able to translate the majority of it, but there are a few key words I'm having trouble with," Giles said, each word coming from his mouth now sounding like they were causing him physical discomfort. "However, there is someone more acquainted with this particular type of demon. I believe he might be able to assist us in this matter."

"I'm guessing it's not me."

"No, I was speaking of Wesley."

"Wimpy? The one that she ran out of town after he got over his big owie from graduation?" Xander asked in disbelief. "You're telling me he could actually be helpful."

"In this instance, yes. And being that he's in Los Angeles..."

"You actually know where he is? I didn't think you guys were keep-in-touch close."

"I suppose I never mentioned it, as the subject was so sore, but Wesley works for Angel."

"Kid me not! Angel's got his very own wimpy Watcher? That I'd like to see."

"Glad to hear you say that..."

*****

Xander shook his head for the thousandth time since leaving Sunnydale. He couldn't believe that Giles had talked him into this, but in truth he hadn't needed much convincing. At that vulnerable moment, a trip out of town had seemed like a really good idea. Anywhere but Sunnydale had seemed like a good idea. Even Los Angeles. Even seeing Angel.

Even seeing Cordelia.

Graduation. That was the last time he'd seen her; she'd left to find fame and fortune in Hollywood not long after. Surprised was an understatement for what he'd felt when he'd been told she was working for Dead Boy while working on an acting career. But then it had been buried in the recesses of his mind like so many other thoughts, only resurfacing after he'd told Giles he would deliver the manuscript to Angel's office personally. Now he couldn't help being painfully aware that Cordelia represented not only his first real relationship, but his first failed relationship. On the heels of his sudden breakup with Anya, she was so not the person he wanted to see right now.

Not like he didn't understand fully well what had gone wrong with him and Cordelia. He was the one who threw the whole thing out the window to lock lips with his best friend. What was happening with him and Anya was completely different. Life in Sunnydale was a lot of stress on a relationship, especially after Buffy's death. And her return. And the current problem...

"What is it with me and violent women?" he asked aloud, then grimaced. "Great. What is it with me and talking to myself?" He had reached the address Giles had given him. He parked the car and stopped, looking at the Hyperion Hotel. It was a little more Hollywood than he had pictured, but still pretty broody. He could imagine it as an Angel place. *Probably did the lobby in black,* he thought sourly.

Just as he was about to open the car door, a heavy rain shower began to fall. Xander sighed. He had parked close as possible to the entrance, but he was still going to have to make a dash for it. Living in California, he had no rain gear to speak of with him. And Giles would kill him if he allowed his precious book to get wet. He removed his jacket, wrapping it around the book, relieved to find it covered it completely. The jacket was 100% waterproof, so with any luck the book would stay dry. Xander would get soaked, but he'd suffered worse problems than a little water. So it was that he burst through the doors of the Hyperion Hotel, soaked thoroughly. He stood shivering as water dripped from his jeans and sage-colored t-shirt and ponded at his feet.

"Hello?" he called out. The slight echo of his own voice was his only response.

Stepping gingerly, he winced at the squishy sound his loafers made, and glanced back ruefully at the puddles he was leaving behind him. He reached what had once been the reservation desk and carefully unwrapped his precious parcel, relieved to see it was still dry. A head popping up directly in front of him startled him and he fell back, landing hard on his but. He looked up into the face of a woman he didn't know.

"Oh...I scared you. You scared me too!" the strange woman drawled, a half-smile on her face.

"I called out, before...I'm Xander Harris."

"You are? That's nice. My name's Fred," she said, moving to stand over him and holding out her hand. She grabbed his hand as he reached for it and gave it a firm shake. "I should have heard you, when you came in, but I was thinking. I kinda tend to, you know, get a little lost to the world when I'm thinking. Gosh, you're very wet, aren't you?"

"You noticed that, huh?" Xander said, struggling to his feet. "So I'm guessing you work here? You're the receptionist?" Fred laughed.

"No. Golly. We don't really have one of those. I'm the physicist. And I live here! With Angel. It's a very nice place to live. You know Angel? Wait, you're not a lawyer, are you?" Xander shook his head in confusion, trying to process the rapid-fire information.

"Not a lawyer? You're Angel's physicist? And we can't even get Giles to use a cell phone...wait...you live with Angel? You're not...with Angel in the 'with Angel' sense, right? I mean, he hasn't fallen back into any bad habits, you know, torture, mass murder, smoking..." Seeing Fred was looking at something behind him, Xander turned and saw Angel, Cordy and Gunn staring at him. He jumped in fright. "Gah!"

"Xander?" Angel asked, confused.

"Angel," Xander warily greeted the vampire. He didn't seem evil, and the others didn't seem to be afraid of him, so Xander decided he hadn't been too happy since their last encounter.

"Xander!" Cordelia said. It was mostly an expression of shock, but he decided to take it as a greeting.

"Cordy." Cordelia with shorter hair, in sweats and very little makeup, but still every bit a princess. Xander was struck by how beautiful she was...and also noticed that she was careworn and thinner than he remembered. Life had not been easy on Cordelia since she left Sunnydale.

"Xander?" Gunn said, his tone of voice saying that the name was familiar to him from somewhere but he couldn't place it yet.

"Guy I don't know," Xander greeted Gunn with a finger point salute. At that moment Wesley walked in, smiling when he saw Xander. He looked so different that Xander almost didn't recognize him. Dressed in a chambray shirt and jeans, he radiated a relaxed confidence that was antithetical from the uptight neurotic he remembered from high school.

"Oh, good, Xander, you're here." Cordelia and Angel looked at the former Watcher reproachfully, and Wesley's expression changed from happy to chagrined.

"Wesley didn't mention I was coming here," Xander surmised. Wesley gave a small embarrassed laugh.

"I mentioned it...didn't I?"

"No, you didn't," Cordelia said in that annoyed princess tone Xander remembered so well, then turned to him with a regal smile. "So, Xander. You're here. And you're wet." The last was said with more than a little distaste.

"I noticed that too," Fred chimed in eagerly, earning a smile from Wesley that was more than a little fond. Wesley's brow wrinkled when he fully took in Xander's soggy appearance.

"Why didn't you park in the covered parking...that I may have forgotten to mention to Mr. Giles. I'm terribly sorry, Xander." The younger man shrugged. So no one knew he was coming. So he was dripping all over Angel's floor. So no one seemed to find it worthwhile to offer him a towel or introduce him to the people he didn't know. On the heels of his breakup with Anya, not even close to worth getting upset over.

"It's okay. I don't melt, I was just worried about Giles' magic book getting wet. I put it on the counter." Wesley ran to look at the book eagerly. Angel was fidgeting slightly, and Xander knew he wanted to ask about the Slayer. Before he could, however, the young man he didn't know suddenly grabbed his hand and shook it, glaring at the others in annoyance.

"By the way, I'm Gunn." Xander smiled. He instinctively liked this guy. He was easy-going, but there was a definite edge about him that told Xander he could hold his own in a fight.

"Xander Harris, nice to meet you." Gunn's expression told Xander he had finally figured out who he was.

"Harris. From Sunnydale? Hey, you're the guy Cordy used to-owww..." Gunn rubbed the spot near his ribs that had been impacted by Cordelia's elbow, faking extreme pain, his eyes twinkling. Cordy rolled her eyes at him and Xander grinned.

"Couldn't have summed it up better myself," he said to Gunn, who grinned back. Cordelia's expression was shifting rapidly from exasperation to amusement to apprehensiveness. She licked her lips, suddenly seeming insecure beneath her usual bravado.

"So, Xander...you look good. Wet is a good look for you." Xander smiled gently at the awkward attempt at small talk, then grinned, remembering a happier time for the two of them.

"Unless I turn into a fish monster." Cordelia shrieked in strident laughter. Angel looked a bit pained, Gunn a touch alarmed, and Fred and Wes just looked bewildered. There was another awkward moment where Cordy tried to think of something else. Xander racked his brain for something he could say to her, but found he was too cold, sodden and weary to process any original thoughts. He'd just answer any questions she came up with, he decided, unless she wanted to talk about...

"Right. Okay. Is Willow really gay?" asked Cordelia brightly.

...Willow. Xander flushed and turned to Angel, saying the first thing that came into his head to delay the Willow conversation.

"So Angel, Fred says she lives with you. What's up with that?" Angel grimaced at him, and Xander realized that by addressing Angel directly, he'd moved from the frying pan into the fire. Because while talking with Cordy about how the girl he'd thrown her over for was in fact a lesbian was awkward, what Angel wanted to talk to him about was beyond awkward. Collect your $200 and head straight to torturous. He shivered with more than just a chill waiting for the question to come.

"She lives here. I live here. It's a hotel. How's..." Angel let the rest of the question hang, unable to finish.

"The same. It's been hard." Xander answered quietly. The two men exchanged meaningful looks that went completely understood by the others. Angel had told them what was happening with the Slayer in Sunnydale.

"Oh. She hasn't asked for me?" Angel said finally.

"N-no." Xander stammered slightly. He had now passed chilly on his way to hypothermia.

"Angel, are you gonna get the man a towel or just let him drip dry?" Gunn said.

"Are you cold?," Fred asked Xander sympathetically.

"He needs dry clothes, Angel," Cordelia said firmly. When the vampire didn't say anything, she crossed her arms in annoyance. "Angel?"

"I'm o-k-kay," Xander said, his chattering teeth belying the statement.

"See, he's okay..." Angel said lamely. Seeing the glares from all four of his co-workers, he relented. "Go change into something. Cordy, can you..." Cordy smiled and took Xander's hand, leading him towards the stairs.

"Come with me, Xander. We'll dry you off and dress you up, and then you can tell us what's so vitally important about that book that you had to pull courier duty. Wesley has barely taken his nose out of it since he opened it." Part of Xander wanted to reply that no one had needed donuts, but he didn't want to be bitter and reopen old wounds. He could see an opportunity to get off on the right foot with Cordy, to maybe build a friendship that had never had a chance to develop before. The trip would be worthwhile then no matter what Wesley was able to uncover.

A short while later Xander felt a lot drier and more than a little ridiculous. Cordy had taken clothes out of Angel's closet that were quintessentially Angel, down to the black leather duster she had insisted upon. He had tried to balk at the boots until he realized that she had removed and hidden his sopping loafers while he was toweling off in the bathroom. Cordelia looked him over, grinning madly.

"Are you doing this to drive him crazy or me crazy?" Xander asked, looking at himself in the mirror and shaking his head. Cordy laughed.

"I get to do both at the same time. It's like double coupon day at Ralph's." She appraised her handiwork seriously for a moment. "You cleaned up good, Xander."

"Thanks...you look great, Cordy. I meant to tell you before..."

"You don't have to say that," Cordelia answered sadly as she led the way back downstairs. Xander frowned. He grabbed her arm at the foot of the stairs, forcing her to look at him.

"You're one of the most beautiful I've ever known, Cordelia Chase. Still and always, honestly and truly, from the bottom of Angel's shoes." Cordelia saw the sincerity in his eyes, and gave him a slow smile. She reached out and smoothed the lapels of the duster...and suddenly grabbed hold of them, screaming as a vision hit. Reflexively Xander put his arms around her as she convulsed.

"Angel!" Xander yelled, frantic. The others were there within moments. Gunn and Angel took Cordy gently from Xander's arms with a practiced air that told him this wasn't a first time thing. After a few moments she seemed to come out of it. She was still trembling and holding her head, her eyes closed. Fred stood by with a handful of aspirin and a glass of water, her expression pensive. Wesley stood behind her, his hands lightly on her shoulders and his expression grave. Xander had never felt more useless.

"Vampires...nineteen or twenty of them...they've kidnapped a whole bunch of high school kids...they've got them in an abandoned building, most of them are still alive...it's like they're waiting for something. The building, it has a name...it's got a C in the name...big letters...Costa...Costa Roja. That's it. Costa Roja Development."

"I'm on it," Gunn said roughly. He left for the computer. Fred took his place, handing Cordy the aspirin and holding the glass steady as the shaky brunette swallowed. Angel brushed Cordelia's hair back from her face gently, looking uncertain until she made a shooing gesture. He glared at Xander meaningfully. Taking the hint, Xander moved to support Cordy as Angel left to converse with Wesley and prepare for battle. Cordy blinked away her remaining tears and tried to smile at Xander, grimacing instead.

"Sorry about that," she said hoarsely. "I kind of get visions now...from the Powers that Be. To tell Angel what they want him to do." Xander and Fred helped her to her feet, and she managed a lopsided smile.

'They're a bit on the painful side," Fred volunteered, and Cordy glared at her.

"If by 'a bit' you mean very, very, very extremely much," she huffed painfully, then sighed.

"I don't know what to say," Xander replied honestly.

"Nothing to say. It's my gift and I can't return it. Just my luck," Cordy said with a short humorless laugh. Wesley, Gunn and Angel returned, loaded up with weapons. Cordy raised her chin defiantly.

"No," Angel said before she could speak.

"Don't argue, I'm going," Cordy protested.

"You should go home and rest," Wesley said gently. "Xander, could you take her?" Before Xander could agree Cordy had put a hand on his arm.

"No. Thank you. That won't be necessary, cause I'm going with Angel."

"Cordy..." Angel began, his tone warning.

"Angel..." Cordy matched his tone, her arms crossed in annoyance. Angel sighed.

"Why?" Angel asked.

"Cause there are too many of them, Angel. You might be Super-Vampire Guy, with your merry men here, but you need all the help you can get on this one. Trust me, I saw it. I know." Angel said nothing.

"Count me in, too." Xander asked. "Cordy's got me all dressed for it, right? All dark and brooding with no place to go. Shame to waste the look." He tried to convey through his eyes that he would also be there to make sure nothing happened to Cordelia.

"He could be very helpful," Wes said to Angel, who nodded curtly.

"Just try not to mess up the clothes," he said. "Fred?"

"I'll stay here and man the fort...it's not really a fort, of course. Y'all be careful. Call me if you need me to research something..." Fred trailed off wistfully, looking around the empty lobby. "Or if you just need to empty a room really fast..."

*****

The whimpering of the humans was satisfying, Carlos mused. But not nearly as satisfying as eating them would be. In the ten months since he had been turned, his mistress had never made him wait like this for a kill. The minion was starting to get nervous, and he could tell the others were too. None of them had yet been bold enough to actually question the delay until Lise returned.

Carlos hated Lise. Though she no longer needed to breathe, the waifish vampire had a way of always seeming out of breath, a trait Carlos found highly annoying. But mainly he hated her because their mistress prized her above all her other minions, including Carlos. Lise could get information and make kills that no one else could manage. She seemed inconsequential, and so simply escaped most people's notice. Only the mistress had probably ever noticed the girl while she was alive; now she was the mistress' right hand. Lise was unwaveringly loyal and deadly, but not terribly bright. Carlos prided himself on his greater intelligence; it was only a matter of time before he found a way to get rid of the little bitch without implicating himself.

"He's coming," Lise panted.

"And the dark-haired bitch, the one with the visions?"

"Yes. I saw them both. They were together."

"And did you get everything?"

"Yes. The Ph'roch demon didn't even protest when I told him it was for you."

Lise's words had made his mistress smile with pleasure, but Carlos couldn't stand being left in the proverbial dark a moment longer. He would never usurp Lise as the mistress' favored one without showing some initiative.

"Mistress," he said as deferentially as he could manage. "Please, could you tell us who's coming? Who are we waiting for?"

"We're waiting for Angelus." A murmur of alarm rippled through the minions. Even the newest of them had heard of the vampire that killed his own kind.

"We're waiting for Angel? To kill us?" Seeing the flash of annoyance in his mistress' eyes, Carlos was sure his overly quick tongue had just signed his death warrant. He gulped as she came closer, then sagged with relief when she only stroked his cheek affectionately. Darla smiled in satisfaction as she leaned in to whisper her secret.

"To join us."

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Feedback, please!


	2. Setting Up the Dominos

Disclaimer: Joss & Co. own just about all these characters. I'm only playing in their sandbox with a few of my own toys.

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"And here we are..." Cordelia drawled out as Angel parked the convertible across the street from the dilapidated building. "Costa Roja. What's that mean, anyway?" She was sitting in the back squeezed between Gunn and Xander; Wesley was riding shotgun next to Angel. Cordy had complained bitterly about the arrangement, but in reality she didn't mind. She felt safer surrounded by these men. She was comfortable next to Xander; it was a warm and friendly feeling. Times had definitely changed.

"It's Spanish, right? Don't look at me. I took French," Xander said.

"You 'failed' French. And I so wasn't asking you," Cordelia retorted. Gunn snickered.

"Red Coast," Wesley answered drily. "I believe that these vampires have a sense of humor."

"Great. I love it when they're all witty," Angel said. It was the first time he had spoken since they left, and Cordelia knew it was because he was still unhappy she was there. It was a recurring theme, even though in truth she didn't often come along any more. 

"So do we have a plan for going up against the Bloods here, or are we gonna do it the usual way?" Gunn drawled as they all spilled out of the car and Wesley distributed weapons.

"The building seems to be unguarded..." Wesley began tentatively.

"Seems to be," Angel said absently.

"Of course, that's probably not the case. I'm thinking a standard flanking attack, Xander, Gunn and myself spreading out and entering from behind while Angel comes in from the front and Cordy..."

"I'm with Angel," Cordelia said quickly. Wesley frowned at Angel, waiting for him to protest, but the vampire said nothing. Cordy realized he was lost in a memory. From his expression, not a happy memory. Something from the Angelus collection, she deduced.

"That's it. Give!" she said harshly, snapping her fingers in front of the vampire's face. His eyes snapped back into focus. She waved towards the building. "You've got something, what is it?"

"Spike, Darla, Dru and myself...we took a bunch of kids once, from an orphanage."

"And you held them in a building like this?" Gunn guessed.

"Actually we just ate them. But that sign..." he gestured towards a small sign that was hanging towards the side of the building. The others had to squint to read it.

"It's in French," Wesley said, surprised.

"It's the same as the sign that was on that orphanage," Angel said flatly.

"What's it say?" Gunn asked, still squinting.

"One billion children served?" Xander quipped. Cordy elbowed him. "Ow...whoa, that brings back memories. What do you expect, with the failing of the French?"

"It says 'The Children Welcome All Visitors,' Cordy snapped. "Oh, and also, 'Delivery Entrance at the Rear,' but that's in English."

"Thank you, Cordelia," Wesley said drily. "Angel, you do realize what this likely means?"

"It's a trap," Angel sighed. "And I think it's pretty obvious who it's for."

"You," Xander nodded. "But the question is, who's behind it?"

"Darla." Angel, Wesley, Gunn and Cordelia had said the word in unison, and Xander stared at them all like they'd gone insane.

"Darla? Okay, we're talking about the Darla that made you the dead guy you are today? The Darla who vamped my best friend? The Darla you staked YEARS ago? That Darla?"

"Pretty much...it's a really long story," Angel said, clearly growing more and more uncomfortable with the subject.

"Bad guys brought her back," Cordy said.

"Apparently not so long," Angel finished with a shaky laugh.

"She skipped town with that wacky broad a while back," Gunn offered.

"Dru," Angel said to Xander, whose expression grew dark.

"Dru almost killed Buffy, you know," he said, directing his comments to Angel alone. His voice was quiet but angry. "You couldn't pick up a phone?" Cordelia grabbed his arm hotly, making him look at her.

"Hello! Harmony, friend of mine, vampire! Must take you days to clean all the glass in your house!" The two were standing nose to nose, glaring, and Angel had the sudden sick feeling they were going to kiss. He almost sagged with relief when Wesley took charge of the situation.

"Stop this right now! We are no longer at Sunnydale High. I had hoped we had all matured beyond this." Xander and Cordy gave him apologetic looks. Wesley nodded but continued speaking in the same no-nonsense tone, addressing his remarks to Angel. "Now, I believe it's safe to assume," he said, not seeing Xander sticking his tongue out at Cordy, "that the goal here is to kill Angel," he continued. Cordy made a face at Xander's childishness.

"You never did know how to use that properly," she muttered. Gunn snickered at Xander's wounded look. Another withering glare from Wesley quieted them down and the three focused on the task at hand.

"No, she wants me undead and evil," Angel replied.

"Hey la, hey la, my boyfriend's back," Xander quipped softly. To his surprise, Angel nodded, grim amusement in his eyes.

"Bring back Angelus, always number one on the Darla hit parade."

"So...what? We can't leave those kids to be eaten. The Powers obviously want you to go in there and duke it out with the über-bitch. Which I'm all in favor of, by the way. I'll hold your coat," Cordelia said.

"She wants me to know it's her," Angel said. "Which means she's sure she's got something in there that's gonna knock my soul out no matter what I do."

"Naked Tyra Banks," Gunn breathed. They all stared at him and he shrugged. "I'd lose my soul."

"Does it matter what it is? The answer's pretty simple. Angel sits this one out," Xander said.

"And then everybody dies, including all of you. She's gonna be ready for that. Sounds like a great plan, Xander."

"I've got it! Stunt double!" Cordy cried out joyfully. The others looked at her questioningly. "Come on, you know. The star needs to be in the shot, but it's kinda dangerous and you can't risk that something bad will happen to him...granted, it's usually not soul-loss, cause in Hollywood those are mostly gone way before...anyway, so you have someone else nobody cares about that looks enough like him to pass pretend to be him." They continued to stare at her, then one by one their eyes were inexorably drawn to an increasingly red-faced Xander.

"Thanks, Cordy," Xander hissed. "I'm overcome by the love and affection."

"Get over it, Xander," she snapped. "You know what I mean. We need to set a trap for Darla, right? We need to find out what she's got planned for Angel, which won't effect you the same way."

"No, it won't. It'll probably just kill me," Xander answered fatalistically. Cordy's eyes swung to Wesley for support, but the former Watcher just shrugged.

"We have no idea what we're dealing with. Xander may be right."

"Besides, no one's ever going to mistake Harris for me, especially not Darla," Angel scoffed. Xander glared at him momentarily. Gunn cleared his throat.

"I dunno, Angel. Not up close, but from a distance, maybe. We'd need to do something about the hair. Get the boy some hair gel."

"I'm on it," Cordy responded, rummaging through her purse.

"You can't be serious. This is absurd. There is no way Xander Harris could pass for me."

"He looks more like you than Wes does, and he was able to pass for you just fine," Cordy responded, raising the hair gel with a small cry of triumph. Xander instinctively took a step back at the predatory look in her eye.

"She'll see through this in a second," Angel protested again. Cordelia stopped her stalking of Xander and turned to the vampire, her expression firm.

"Maybe a second is all we need. To see what they've got planned for you and stop it. Look at the alternatives, Angel. We can't risk you losing your soul. We can't let those kids die."

"Vampires can sense other vampires. That's what I'm trying to tell you. There's no way that any of the vamps in there would fall for any human trying to pretend to be me."

"I might have an answer to that," Wesley said quietly. Once he was certain he had their attention, he continued, "After the...incident Cordy just mentioned, where I had to pretend to be you, Angel, I began researching possible way in which I could make such a ruse more effective if it was ever needed again. I found a spell that can transfer a vampire's energy signature temporarily to an object or talisman; any human being wearing that talisman would register as the vampire."

"Meaning Xander would register as Angel on the ole bat sonar. Or whatever it is you people use to keep tabs on each other," Gunn said.

"Yes. And Angel would register as a human."

"Nice trick, Felix," Gunn said, his tone admiring, slapping Wes on the shoulder. Wesley's modest smile faded when he saw Angel's glare.

"And you never mentioned this before because..." Angel said.

"Because you needed to be present for the spell to be effective, Angel, for one. And the spell's effects wear off much too quickly to be of much use under the circumstances I was envisioning at the time. And, also, I forgot all about it," he admitted.

"How quick is quickly?" Xander asked, trying to sound cool and businesslike. Not easily done when he was being set up as bait this way.

"Fifteen minutes, give or take. Five. Minutes." There were a few moments of thoughtful silence as they absorbed that sobering information.

"What about the talisman?" Angel asked quietly.

"It doesn't have to be any specific object; the spell can be accomplished through just about any trinket. I'm certain we could fashion something. Looking sympathetically at Xander, who had yet to speak, Wesley continued, "Given the inability to predict how long the spell would last, Angel would need to perform the incantation immediately before entering the building. And hope that we have time...it is a risk. Xander, no one would think any less of you if you said no to this."

"I would," Cordy interjected matter-of-factly.

"We could try the ruse with myself, perhaps."

"Okay," Xander breathed.

"I do have experience in the role..." Wesley continued before he realized Xander had said something. "Do you mean okay that I should, or okay that you will."

"I will. Be Angel. If we're going to do this, we should figure out the hows and whats and whens soon. I mean, they probably know we're here, and they're in there wondering..."

*************

"What's taking them so long?" Carlos seethed, trying to follow his mistress' model and sit still. It was impossible, knowing that the most dangerous vampire in Los Angeles was plotting something outside. Adding to his foul mood was Lise, who had joined them a few minutes ago. Darla and Lise had been engaging in an intimate whispered conversation ever since, darkening Carlos' mood considerably.

"Patience, Carlos. My dear boy has to think this through. He'll be here presently. He's probably trying to talk the others into leaving. I swear, I'm going to gag on that nobility of that damn soul."

"The soul's as good as gone," Lise said in her breathy voice. "Angel is sticking close to the girl, as you predicted."

"Yes, his concern for his friend will be his undoing," Darla growled, spitting the word 'friend' harshly. "She's part of what keeps him on the path of good. Stupid whiny little bitch has the sight. Angelus will rip her eyes out. And then he'll be mine." Carlos felt another pang of annoyance. Darla still hadn't seen fit to let him in on the plan, whereas Lise apparently knew all about it. Another reason Lise was going to be acquainted with a stake very soon.

********************

Given the need to keep Angel and Xander in the same place until the last possible second, a two pronged attack seemed the best plan. Wes and Gunn were going to enter through the back; Xander, Angel and Cordelia through the front. The spell Wes had taught to the vampire was simple enough. Cordelia's necklace functioned as the ideal talisman, although Xander did grumble that it wasn't very manly.

"Why aren't we sneaking in again?" Xander asked. Wesley sighed, a sound so like Giles that Xander had decided they must teach it in Watcher school.

"The spell has an unpredictable and brief duration of effectiveness. We need to draw attention to Angel, er, to you," Wesley corrected himself at Xander's raised eyebrow, "as quickly as possible if we have hope of thwarting Darla's plans."

"Besides, that's how he always does it," Gunn added offhandedly.

"No longer Stealth Guy, huh?" Xander said to Angel. Again the vampire gave him an amused look.

"I have range," Angel deadpanned. Xander was beginning to realize that the vampire's sense of humor was not that different from his own. Up until today it had never occured to him that Angel even had a sense of humor. He gave him a grim smile of his own.

"You've been in L.A. too long."

"Can we save the cool guy banter until after we rescue the innocents for once?" Cordy suggested meaningfully.

"Yes. Quite. We're all ready then?" Wes said, but it was a rhetorical question really. He knew that the plan, such as it was, was fully understood by all.

As they crept towards the building, Xander suddenly found himself thinking about Anya and that stupid fight. That stupid, petty, meaningless fight. Xander felt a wave of desperate longing to see Anya, to kiss her and smell her hair and make her laugh. He vowed to himself that if he survived this latest attempt to get himself killed, he would go back to Sunnydale and beg forgiveness. Every moment of every day for the rest of his life if that's what it took for her to take him back. He wondered what she was doing right now.

*She doesn't even know where I am.* The thought made him feel horribly alone.

******************

"Where is he?" Anya demanded stridently. Giles tried to walk past her to reshelve The Post-Modern Demon and Clan Identity, but she blocked his path quite effectively. Finally he looked her in the eye sternly.

"I've told you, Anya. Xander is running an errand for me and will be out of town for several days."

"I don't believe you. He wouldn't just...he wouldn't leave me. He promised! I mean, just because I told him I never wanted to see him again, ever..." Anya trailed off forlornly. Giles was distressed to see how distraught the girl had become. Fearful of needing to comfort her tears, he spoke in a gentle but firm voice.

"Anya. I may not know what's going on with the two of you, and quite frankly I'm well out of it, but I am certain of one thing. Xander Harris loves you very much. He'll be back in a few days, and the two of you can sit down and talk this thing through."

"Really? You think we can fix it?" Anya sniffed, crying anyway. Giles gave her a half-smile and pulled her into a hug.

"If the gods are kind," he breathed in a quasi-prayer. He said nothing to Anya about his own worries about Xander. Not having heard from him, he had taken it upon himself to call Los Angeles shortly before Anya's arrival. The intriguing woman who had answered the phone at Angel Investigations had been pleasant enough, but had been pointedly evasive about the whereabouts of Xander, Wesley and Angel. *I do hope you're not getting yourself into trouble, dear boy. You've got so many good things to come home to. You don't even know it.*

******************

Carlos was interrupted from his plotting of his rival's demise by the frenetic entrance of Hector, a fledgling who happened to have been a distant cousin of his. It was a small world after all.

"Mistress, they're moving," Hector panted. The other vampires began whispering to each other excitedly, but Carlos was too busy seething to react to this news. Hector was acting just like Lise. It was ridiculous.

*We're vampires! Don't need to breathe, people! Immature...stupid... Imitating humans, how pathetic!* Carlos' dark thoughts were cut off by Darla's clap for attention.

"Remember. Angelus and the girl must be separated from their companions."

"Can we kill the others?" one of the fledgling asked, and Darla hissed in annoyance.

"Of course. Kill, maim, eat or jump rope with them, I don't care! Just keep them out of my hair and away from Angelus and his seeing-eye dog."

All the minions except for Lise headed off. Darla noticed the dark look Carlos flashed as he left the room and it made her smile. She so enjoyed a good struggle for power amongst vampires, and it definitely appeared Carlos had it in for Lise. That could get interesting. Drawing her thoughts back to the task at hand, she gestured to the girl who was currently her favorite.

"Do you have what I need?" Darla asked harshly. Lise nodded and went to her knapsack. She drew out a small bag of powder and a purplish pink crystal. Moving to hand them to Darla she hesitated.

"You're sure you want to do this yourself, Mistress?" Lise replied worriedly.

"I am. I want Angelus to know who was responsible for his return. And as the soul is ripped from him I want Angel to know who made that happen," Darla said, the confidence in her voice masking pain. She doubted any of the others would have heard it, but Lise did. She was well-acquainted with the kind of pain a woman might endure at a man's hands. Without further comment she placed the magickal items into Darla's waiting hands. Darla headed towards the front entrance.

"How can you be sure he'll use the front entrance?" Lise said nervously.

"I can feel him. Can you not feel the presence of Angelus?" Darla said dreamily. Lise nodded but Darla didn't even see it. "It's been much too long."

Lise fell into step behind her mistress. She could, and it made her shiver. If she had been able to pray, she would have been praying her heart out. This could all end very badly for all of them. Lise vaguely remembered playing with dominos in her human childhood, before the darkness took over her existence. Lining them up and tipping them over repeatedly to watch the rippling patterns. There was something both calming and frightening about the inevitability of it all, and she had learned. Once you set things in motion, they fall. Whether you want them to or not.

*************

Feedback is so very, very appreciated!


	3. Watching Them Fall

Disclaimer: Joss & Co. own just about all these characters. I'm only playing in their sandbox with a few of my own toys.

****************************************

"Breath mint for your thoughts," Cordy whispered to Xander as they crept behind Angel. He smiled at her and she shrugged. "You're wearing my necklace already. It's the best I can do."

"Thanks, but I think my thoughts are already pretty minty fresh...or freshly minted."

"Ha ha, funny guy. You just looked...yeah, I know what it is. You're thinking about Anya. Your girlfriend. Excuse me, your fiancée."

"How did you-" Xander's face showed surprise, but he kept his voice quiet.

"She sent an engagement announcement to Angel. She copied me on it, too. You didn't know?"

"I had no idea. She didn't say anything. You didn't say anything."

"Neither did you," Cordy replied pointedly. Xander opened and closed his mouth twice, and then finally sighed.

"It's complicated. We had a fight, and she...let's just say I don't know where we stand right now."

"Grovel," Cordy declared adamantly. Xander gaped at her.

"Huh?"

"Do whatever it takes, but make sure she knows how you feel. How much you really love her," Cordy said. She paused, memories of a rakish Irish half-demon bringing a flare of the old pain. Battling her emotions, she lashed out at him, "You live on a Hellmouth, you idiot! You more than anyone else should know you never know how much time...God! I shouldn't have to explain this to you!" She moved away from him, but he grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry, Cordy." The note of sincerity was more than she could bear. She blinked back her tears.

"You should be!" she rasped in a harsh whisper, then she deflated a little. The anger was gone, and now she just looked lost. "For what? What are you sorry for, Xander?"

"That you lost him. Whoever he was." Xander's quiet comment astonished her. He could be perceptive sometimes.

"Doyle. His name was Doyle. It was a while ago. I've gotten past it."

Xander was about to say how he could certainly tell, when Angel's hand on his arm made him stop.

"Guys. It's time."

"Okay, work your mojo, Deadboy. I'm ready."

"Please stop calling me that," Angel said automatically. "I just hope Wesley and Gunn didn't get lost."

*************

"How shockingly stupid!" Darla exclaimed as the lights went out.

"Mistress?" Lise asked, bewildered. Darla smiled.

"Angel's little friends must have cut the power. I wish I'd thought of it. Sets the mood, don't you think? Don't they know we can see better in the dark than they can? I mean, creatures of the night, blah blah blah."

"I hear something," Lisa breathed, and Darla attuned her senses as well. She almost purred.

"Yes," she said, drawing the word out in a hiss. "He's here. Angelus, dear boy...come to Mother."

*************

"Okay, there go the lights," Angel said. "Let's move."

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Cordy said suddenly. The two men squinted at her in the dim light.

"It's your idea!" Angel said, exasperated.

"It's a little too late now," Xander hissed. "Angel. Do it." Grabbing the necklace around Xander's neck, Angel said the incantation that Wesley had taught him and felt like something...whooshed out of him. At the same moment Xander took a sharp intake of breath.

"Xander?" Angel asked. The younger man nodded, his face expressionless.

"Intense. Let's go," Xander said. Angel nodded and instinctively went to lead the way in, but Cordy's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Angel always goes first," she hissed, exaggerating the first word. He looked suitably chastened, and moved into position behind Cordelia, who gave Xander a small shove, propelling him forward. He gave a quick kick to the doors, throwing them open, then held his hand behind his back. Cordelia grabbed hold of it and the two entered, Angel a step behind.

Angel was surprised at how easily Xander had dealt with the door; Wes hadn't said anything about transfer of strength. The vampire that dropped down on top of him, taking him down, abruptly delayed further musings on the subject. As Angel rolled back to his feet, automatically slipping into his vampire countenance, he kicked the tackling vampire in the head, momentarily stunning him. He whirled and another vampire tried to pin him from behind. Angel dropped his shoulder and the second attacker went flying over his head. The thrown vampire quickly regained his feet only to turn to ash as Angel rammed the stake home. The first vampire had shaken off the head blow, but was staring openmouthed at Angel, frozen in shock and confusion. Angel remembered that he didn't register as a vampire to other vamps. The souled vampire grinned, his game face making the expression that much more grotesque.

"So tell me. Am I a vampire or not? Wanna guess? You got a fifty-fifty shot at it...ah, forget it..." he finished, the stake finding the vampire's heart. Angel turned around and realized with sudden dread that he was now alone. While he had been distracted, Xander and Cordelia had vanished.

*************

"Angel! Angel!" Cordelia whispered harshly as they made their way down the corridor. Xander rolled her eyes.

"Right here, in case you've forgotten," he answered softly. "You know, Cordy, if you'd like for us both to be killed here, you could try harder to make it look like I'm not Angel. There might be some vampires here who aren't knowing that yet."

"Sorry. I forget how testy you get in life or death situations," she hissed back. "I'm surprised Buffy still puts up with you." Seeing the fleeting look of pain across his face, Cordy tried to apologize. "Oh, I didn't mean...I forgot she's not..."

"Later," Xander answered stonily. He led Cordy into another room. As of yet they had seen no sign of anyone, except that they had lost Angel shortly after entering.

"What's taking so long? They must know we're here...oooooh, what is that?" Cordy picked up the sparkling pink crystal before Xander could warn her not to touch it. Xander, annoyed, took it roughly from her hands. He was about to berate her for picking the thing up when they heard the sounds of someone chanting a spell from behind them. Cordy grabbed onto Xander's arm and they froze.

"We should run," he whispered.

"Wait," she replied, and turned to look. Everything happened quickly, but later Cordy was able to break it down to a series of images. Darla chanting from the shadows, her eyes glowing golden like a cat. Some kind of sparkling dust raining down on them, dissolving as it touched their skin and searing her lungs as she breathed it in. Xander dropping the crystal, crying out as if it had burned him. The two of them watching as it changed colors, changing from that sunset purple-pink to a deeper purple, baleful as a bruise.

"I don't think that's good," Xander had whispered, and then his hand had caressed her cheek comfortingly, tangling in her hair and it felt good, it felt right, and all Cordelia knew was that she needed to kiss him, like she had in high school after they'd fought, only this was different, stronger, purer than that had been. She pulled him closer, capturing his mouth and moaning in frustration because she couldn't feel him. Not enough of him, because there was too much in the way, too many clothes, too many distractions...they needed to get out of this place. As if he'd read her mind, she felt Xander's hands slide down her back and under her, lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he staggered momentarily under the additional weight, then released her lips to better see his way to the exit. Cordy temporarily involved herself in nuzzling his ear and neck, making small mewling sounds. Both of them heard a woman's laughter, but it wasn't important. Only one thing was important. Xander followed signs, ducking out an emergency exit...he felt as if this was the most appropriate use of such an exit in history. He carried her off into the night, desperately seeking a place for release. No one tried to stop them.

"Could that have been easier?" Darla giggled. "I didn't even have to force them to touch the crystal. Oh, this is so much fun!"

"Should I follow them, mistress?" Lise asked quietly. Darla nodded at her, still laughing.

"Just in case...but once Angelus has had his fun, he'll find me again. We have so much lost time to make up for."

Her minion nodded and faded into the shadows. Darla was too busy replaying her moment of triumph in her mind to notice Carlos follow behind Lise.

*************

Angel looked up from the cloud of dust that had been his latest attacker and growled. Having to fend of repeated attacks and being unable to find Xander and Cordelia were doing little to put him in a good mood. Up ahead of him he heard laughter, and growled again. Darla. Time to end this.

He found Darla alone. He snuck up behind her and grabbed her by the throat. Angel felt a sudden tingle and realized that the spell making Xander appear to be him had worn off. The fear he felt coming from Darla confirmed it. He sniffed the musky air and chuckled.

"Well, you're awfully happy to see me, Darla," he purred.

"Angelus?" she squeaked. "It's too soon...I don't understand, it couldn't have worked that quickly."

"Really?" Angel bluffed, giving her throat a quick squeeze. "You don't think so?"

"Well, it's just that...I've never known you to...so quickly. I thought...poor Cordelia. I did hope the girl would get to enjoy it a little."

"Please. You could care less about Cordy," he said. She laughed lightly, pressing herself back against him wantonly. Angel tried not to notice; it made him nauseous to think of touching her that way ever again.

"It's not polite to contradict someone expressing polite regrets, even if they are insincere. Especially when speaking of the dead." Angel felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. He squeezed her throat tighter, and she began to gag.

"What did you do, Darla?" Angel hissed.

"An...ge...lus," Darla choked out. Angel grabbed her hair with the hand that wasn't wringing her neck, and pulled her head back to meet his gaze. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Guess again," he said. Barely resisting the urge to tear her head from her shoulders, Angel threw the blonde down hard. One hand fluttering to her bruised throat, her eyes filling with tears of pain and frustration, she looked for all the world like a little girl whose favorite toy had just been taken away.

"It can't be...it worked! I know it worked...the crystal changed...and you...and she...this can't be happening. You can't possibly be that cold!"

Angel frowned, trying to make sense of that. Angelus was the coldest son of a bitch around. What could his coldness have to do with this?

***********

Lise had been following the man she thought was Angelus and his lover at a discreet distance, but she could have been riding on their backs for all the notice they took of her. She supposed it might have been stimulating, but one of the side effects of the spell was that it made the couple unpleasant for anyone to watch. It was a helpful safeguard against unwanted interference. Plus, Lise might have been a vampire, but she wasn't that kind of girl.

They had stopped again, pressed up against a plate glass window she was convinced was going to shatter from the unexpected pressure. She paused, looking away with a grimace of distaste...and struck the vampire that had been tailing her for blocks. Carlos lay sprawled on the ground, blinking up at her in surprise.

"For a vampire, you can't sneak up worth a damn," she hissed at him, slipping on her game face. He sprung to his feet, grinning. Lise had not been unaware of Carlos' feelings about her. This particular fight had been a long time coming, and if she hadn't been already engaged in a task she would have taken the time to enjoy it. As it was, Lise wanted this business finished fast. At the rate they were going, Angelus' soul had to go soon. She didn't want to miss the part where he tortured and killed the dark-haired woman. That was the kind of show she would enjoy.

Unfortunately, Carlos proved to be more of a challenge than she'd expected. They sparred back and forth, neither being able to get the upper hand. Lise was going in for what she hoped was the final kill when a sudden realization made her falter. Carlos seized the advantage and took her down, holding a two by four to her chest triumphantly.

"Final words, bitch?" he asked saucily. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, and he grinned. "Look at you, all afraid. If only Darla could see her favorite now, cowering like a kicked puppy. But don't worry, I'll be sure and tell her how you died."

"Carlos," Lise said softly as she threw her hands up, forcing the wood to go through his heart instead of her own. "You're an idiot. And you talk too much." She watched the dust fly into the breeze, picked up the falling wood and threw it against the wall angrily.

"And thanks to you, I've lost them." She could no longer sense Angelus anywhere in the near vicinity. There was nothing to do but return to Darla and face the consequences of her failure.

***********

"Darla, Darla, Darla. I'm really disappointed in you. Now be a good girl and tell me what you did to them, and I might make this quick." Angel was more than a little irked that the plan had gone successfully, except that it was overridden by his concern for Cordy.

"It wasn't you. You tricked me," Darla said, suddenly realizing what had happened. She clenched her hands into fists, growling. Angel could tell she was about to attack, and he wasn't alone.

"Quite successfully, apparently. Stay right where you are," Wesley commanded, crossbow pointed at her heart as he limped into the dim emergency lighting. Angel smiled grimly.

"I take it you managed the rescue without me?"

"There were certainly a number of them, but they were almost uniformly stupid and monumentally disorganized. All staked or scattered now. No trouble at all," he added, wincing a bit as he turned to get a better angle on the vampire. A moment later the lights came back on, and Angel took in his disheveled appearance.

"I see that. Gunn?"

"Seeing to the young people. He should be joining us presently. What's become of Xander and Cordelia?"

"We were just getting to that. Darla's about to share with us where they are."

Darla's laughter sounded like bells dripped in acid.

"Why should I tell you?"

"How about because you want this to end quickly. The alternative...oh, Darla, you can imagine that, can't you? Cause I can." Darla turned her head defiantly.

"You're not Angelus, dear boy," she said softly. Wesley pulled Angel away from Darla slightly, still eyeing the vampire warily.

"Did she tell you anything?"

"She said something about a crystal changing, and me and Cordy..." Angel trailed off, puzzled.

"Angel, what did she say exactly about you and Cordy?" Angel's brow furrowed.

"She thought it would take longer...I think she let them go, Wesley. She thought I would kill Cordy and come back to her."

"Angel, if you had become Angelus, wouldn't you have?"

"Sure, but why just let them go? What could she have done to be so sure my soul would be gone after...oh my God, what I smelled was...Wesley, I thought...but she must have...so they...oh, this is bad." A sound behind them made them both turn, but it was only Gunn, waving his own crossbow.

"Kid's are out. What's bad?" Gunn asked warily. "Where's the princess-Angel, look out!" Darla landed screeching on Angel's back, knocking him face down to the floor. Triumphantly she raised her arms over her head, a stake in her grasp. She froze, startled, hearing a stereophonic *snap-poing* sound, and therefore only had time to glance at the two crossbow bolts that had simultaneously pierced her heart. The dust that was Darla settled down on Angel as Gunn and Wesley exchanged business-like nods.

"I'm afraid we won't be getting any more information from her," Wesley sighed.

"But Angel's on to something, right? Something bad?" Gunn asked tensely. "You gonna spill that any time soon?"

"Darla said there was a crystal...Wesley, Gunn, look for a crystal!" Angel said, searching the surrounding area.

"This looks like something," Gunn said, reaching down.

"Don't touch it!" Wesley and Angel called in unison.

"Okay! Geez!" Gunn said defensively, holding his hands up as they gathered them. Wesley frowned, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, dear."

"Oh, dear what?" Gunn exploded.

"Does this mean what I think it does?" Angel asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm afraid so. Oh, dear."

"Wes, say 'Oh, dear,' one more time and I'll kick your English ass. What is up?"

"Well, the good news is I don't believe they're in any immediate danger," Wesley began. "Ummm...Angel?" Wesley took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped it around the crystal. Angel stared blankly at Wes for a moment, then jumped back to the present, nodding.

"Yeah, they're probably fine."

"Okay," Gunn drawled. "So what happened to them?"

"Darla probably...that is, I believe Darla...oh, d..." Wesley stopped himself from saying 'dear' at Gunn's warning look, continuing on, "...Darla cast a spell on them to make them...happy. Together."

"We need to find them," Angel said.

"We need to find them cause they're happy together? That doesn't make...oh! Wait a minute! You're trying to tell me those two are off getting jiggy?"

"Am I?" Wesley asked in bewilderment.

"Yeah, pretty much," Angel said.

"They're having hot monkey sex right now?" Gunn asked in horrified fascination. Wesley cleared his throat.

"I think I prefer 'getting jiggy'...and yes, I believe so," Wesley said curtly. Gunn took a moment to absorb that information fully, then shook his head.

"Damn."

"Uh-huh," Angel agreed. "We need to find them and stop them."

"I agree. But I'm not quite certain we can. The problem is, we don't know the nature of the spell used. I need to research this crystal and look into the kind of spell that would create this reaction. And there might be some magickal residue or spell echo we can use to sort it out. Fred's been doing some research for me, she might have an idea..."

"I'll start scoping out the area, see if there's any sign of them," Gunn said.

"I'll go with you. I think I can track them," Angel said hesitantly. He didn't relish the idea of following that scent, knowing what it meant.

"If you find them, you mustn't try to...don't separate them. We have no idea how physically trying to interfere with the spell might effect them. Locate and monitor them until we've come up with a solution." Angel and Gunn exchanged disgusted looks.

"Wesley, are you saying we should watch?" Gunn said disbelievingly. Wesley just coughed, and Angel made a decision. Watching Cordelia...do that was not something he was prepared to do. He had his own concerns about unwanted effects.

"On second thought, maybe I'll head back to the office and help Wesley," Angel said hastily. Gunn looked at him like he was a traitor.

"Actually, I could use Angel's help. Gunn, do you think you can find them alone?"

"Sure. Fine. I'll find them," he grumbled, walking off. "Feel all dirty, but I'll find them." Angel and Wesley quickly made their way back to the car. Angel slid into the passenger seat and turned his body towards Wesley. The former Watcher gravely started the engine then looked questioningly at the vampire

"So, what is it you need me to do?" Angel asked a bit eagerly as they pulled away from the curb. Wesley smiled faintly.

"Call Giles and tell him what's happened." 

Angel looked longingly after Gunn even though he was already out of view. If the car had been slightly slower, or if Angel had looked back a second later, they might have seen Lise's lithe form exiting the building and slipping down the alley. 

The vampire had arrived moments before Darla was shot, and her heart burned for revenge. She had overheard their conversation, and formulated her plan. The man called Gunn would lead her to the false Angelus and the seer; in turn, she would use those three to trap the others. And then her mistress would be avenged. With much pain and death, just the way she would have liked it.

*************

The thing about being the night manager at the Paridice Hotel is you get pretty jaded. After a few years working at a place whose owner couldn't spell and whose occupants couldn't care, Juscelino reflected there wasn't much he hadn't seen or heard, particularly of a concupiscent nature. The couple that had barged into the lobby moments before offered more of the same, but to such a degree that Juscelino found his artful projection of boredom was rapidly dissolving in gallons of perspiration.

"Name?" he asked shakily. Neither of them came up for air.

"Mmmmnaphnaph." Juscelino shook his head, wrote down Smith in the registry. He attempted his best no-nonsense glare.

"I need to be paid up front. In cash. You want clean sheets, that's extra. Hey! Not on my counter! Good God people, you can't just...hey, I just cleaned that! No, don't, please, that's just...oh, man! I can't believe you just...all right, stop it, just take the key! Room 4, right next door, go, now, before...thank you."

Juscelino slumped down behind the counter, running shaky fingers through his hair. He hadn't smoked in years, but he desperately craved a cigarette. Now that they were gone, he wondered what his problem was. The girl had been hot, and what they were doing...normally stuff like that didn't bother him. Juscelino laid his head back, imagined he had a cigarette, and pondered if maybe it wasn't time for a career change.

*************

Giles sighed. Anya had volunteered to stay late to help him pull the shop back together after the latest demon attack, but she worried him. He'd never seen her so withdrawn and listless.

"Anya, why don't you go home now?" he suggested gently, and she shook her head.

"If I'm not working, I'm thinking. And if I'm thinking, I'm worrying. And if I'm worrying, I'm all barfy and if I'm barf-"

"Yes, yes, I understand. No need to go on. How about doing some reshelving in the spell book section. I'm afraid they rather made a mess of things there." Giles was dismayed when she simply nodded and did as he suggested. It was completely out of character for her to obey without discussion. The phone rang; at the late hour, Giles prayed Xander was finally checking in.

"Magic Box. Your one stop-"

"Giles?"

"Angel? Thank goodness. Xander is with you, yes?" Giles said, hearing the clatter of books hitting the floor. An excited Anya was at his elbow a second later, trying to take the phone. He held up his hand sternly, and she relented, still eyeing the phone eagerly.

"Actually, that's why I'm calling. Something's happened. To Xander."

"Oh?" Giles said as noncommittally as possible.

"Yeah...he's all right, as far as we know, but we don't exactly know where he is right now."

"I see. Can you elaborate a bit?" Giles said, still using evasive language. Anya looked about ready to rend him limb from limb to get to the telephone.

"Well...actually, it's kind of a funny...ummm, well, short version, Darla and a gang of vamps grabbed a bunch of kids to trap me."

"Darla?" Giles said in shock, and Anya looked puzzled.

"Whoa, long story...anyway, Darla wanted to make me lose my soul by casting a spell on me to make me, ummm, get happy with Cordy. In the soulfree sense. Only she thought Xander was me, as absurd as that sounds."

"So you're saying he...oh, dear..."

"Yeah. We've lost track of both of them, actually. One of our associates is out looking for them now, and Wes is researching the spell to see what we need to do."

"I see." Giles said in clipped tones. "Angel, I'm standing here with Xander's fiancée right now. She's been very, very worried about him. When should I tell her she can expect to hear from him?"

"Oh," Angel said, beginning to rush his words together in his haste to end the call, "Not really sure. Wes thinks the spell will wear off by morning. If we haven't found them by then, they'll probably call. Hey, I gotta run, great talking to you, bye Giles."

"Angel! Angel!" Giles said angrily to the offensive dial tone, hanging up in contempt. He could barely look into Anya's terrified eyes. Giles took a deep breath, wondering what on earth he was going to say to her. His mind boggled at the mess the boy had managed to get himself into.

*************

Finding a spot where he was could keep a good eye on Room #4 of the Paridice Motel, but was far enough away not to hear anything, Gunn settled in for the night. When he checked in with Angel, they told him to keep an eye on the happy couple, but that there was nothing to do but let the spell run its course. Wesley estimated it should be over by dawn, which meant Gunn was in for a boring night on stakeout, instead of being out staking. Chuckling at his own funny, he watched idly as a homeless girl entered the motel office. He thought of going to tell her about Anne's place, then thought better of it. That office was too close to Room #4 for comfort. Gunn didn't even want to know that place until morning.

Lise had been watching Gunn for some time. She saw him enter and then leave the motel office, saw him stare hard at the room next to the office, shuddering violently. He had made a call on his cell phone, and then moved away to a place where he could keep an eye on everything. Clearly they had discovered the spell would wear off by morning. Lise toyed with the idea of snacking on him now, then disregarded it. She preferred to get all of them alive before the torturing began; it was so much better that way. The large overhang should offer her adequate sun protection in the morning, and she would be able to get all three of them. Sewer access was close enough, too. Lise smiled as she finished making her plan, then headed into the office, surreptitiously watching Gunn watching her. She could tell he'd dismissed her as being of no consequence. She'd let him pay for that mistake in the morning. For now she wanted to get a room and a meal, and the night manager was just what she needed for both.

*************

Feedback is so very, very appreciated!


	4. The Aftermath

Disclaimer: Joss & Co. own just about all these characters. I'm only playing in their sandbox with a few of my own toys.

******************

"Fred, would you mind terribly if I had a few words with Angel? Alone?" Wesley asked with gentle affection.

The three had been holding vigil at the Hyperion all night, even though they knew nothing could be done for Cordelia and Xander except wait for the spell to wear off. While Wesley and Fred had absently looked through texts, Angel had been pacing the hotel with an edgy broodiness that was extreme even for him. Wesley had had enough, but didn't want Fred to bear witness to what he needed to ask the vampire. Since rescuing the girl from Pylea, there had been more than professional admiration bouncing around the corridors of Angel Investigations between Fred and Angel, and between himself and Fred. And while he believed that Fred was beginning to return his affection, he didn't want to risk that what he had to say to Angel might be painful for her. Wesley would cut off a limb rather than hurt Fred. Much to his relief, she looked up at him and smiled, not even asking him for a reason.

"Sure," she drawled softly. "I'll go make some coffee. We'll all need some coffee, and probably breakfast...should I get breakfast?"

"That would be very helpful, thank you, Fred." She smiled even wider, and impulsively reached out her hand to him. He took it and gave it a reassuring squeeze, then she left them alone. Angel had been ignoring them the entire time, but now gave Wesley one of his patented dark brooding looks.

"Don't start with me, Wes."

"I have no intention of 'starting' anything, Angel. The last thing needed here is more tension. You need to calm down."

"I'm calm. I've been calm. I'm just worried about Cordy, like any friend would be," he said defensively, then off of Wesley's look added lamely, "And Xander. This is going to be a lot harder on them than if they were simply attacked. I mean, they...it was against their will."

"You're right, of course. There are going to be a lot of emotional issues for them to deal with. But that isn't what you're so upset about right now."

"I don't know what you mean, Wes," Angel growled softly.

"I mean your feelings for Cordelia have moved beyond the friendship phase. Just a touch, but they have, Angel, don't deny it. It takes one to know one, you know."

"I...I care about Cordy."

"It bothers you that she's with Xander," Wesley prodded.

"It bothers me that she's being hurt because of me. Again. It really bothers me that everyone I care about gets hurt," Angel said sincerely. "I care about Cordy, more than I probably should. But I don't love her, Wes. There's only one woman I love. And I can't help her either."

******************

Gunn stood and stretched his aching muscles shortly before dawn. It was cold, he was cramped and tired and he wanted to catch a shower and a bite and go to bed. He figured it was close enough to Wesley's schedule that approaching the door now wouldn't be a problem. If he heard anything that sounded even remotely funky in there, he could always run.

Despite his self-reassurances, he was still more than a little nervous as he got closer. At first he put the feeling down to the spell; Wesley had told him it gave a nasty vibe to anyone who saw the pair. Gunn thought maybe he had underestimated the effect. But as he got closer, the feeling became clearer and more familiar. He was being watched. Trying to act as nonchalant as possible, he pulled out a stake as he scanned the surrounding area. Nothing out of the ordinary, other than a closed sign hanging on the office door. Turnover in places like this sort of mandated the office be open twenty-four hours. He looked back nervously at Room #4 and started. The homeless girl he had seen last night was standing right in front of him. Gunn jumped, and the girl let out a little breathy scream of her own.

"Girl, you shouldn't be sneaking up on people," he said. She looked so frightened his natural sense of chivalry took over. "Hey, look, I'm meeting some friends right now, and we got some business to take care of. But I can give you the address of a really good friend of mine who can help you get off these mean streets if you want. If you don't mind my saying, you look a little lost." Lise gave him her best trembling smile.

"I'm just..." she said, so softly he leaned in closer to hear her. He staggered back as she landed two hard blows to his head, almost driving him to his knees. Within seconds she'd grabbed him, the stake clattering out behind them as she pinned his arms behind him. She had him in a chokehold, squeezing his windpipe until he gasped slightly. She lightly pierced his neck with her fangs, just enough to let him know what kind of trouble he was really in. "Hungry. And I want to stay with you, so you can protect me. A girl on her own can't be too careful. And you have no idea how much I really want to meet your friends."

******************

Xander smiled and stretched, feeling softness and warmth spooned against his back, the small arm laid across his chest possessively. He had dreamed that Anya had come to him and they had made up the way they always did, the best way they knew how. Now he was awakening to find his dream made real. Still only half-awake he rolled over, wanting to catch a glimpse of her in the early light. Watching her sleep was one of his private simple pleasures. He smiled down at her mussed brunette hair...

Not Anya.

Xander leapt from the bed, his gaze taking in the scene frantically and his brain reporting the situation in shorthand. Naked Xander. Strange Room. Strange Bed. Naked Cordy. Dead Xander.

"Oh God. Oh God. I'm dead. Ogodogodogodogod!"

The sound of Xander's hyperventilating awoke Cordelia, who smiled up at him sleepily for a second before snapping back to reality herself. Cordelia sat bolt upright and screamed. Pushed into overload, Xander did the only thing he could think of doing. He backed away, ready to run for his life. In the process of backing up, however, he tripped over Cordelia's carelessly thrown sneakers and fell backward. His body crashed against and knocked over a cheap end table, shattering it as he collapsed to the floor. The heavy porcelain lamp that had been minding its own business on the erstwhile table clipped Xander's head on its way to the floor, stunning him enough to allow him to slip into blissful unconsciousness.

Cordy screamed again then clamped her hands over her mouth. Her memory was beginning to return in flashes. She looked around the cheap motel room, whimpering a little, then reached a shaky hand for the phone. She would deal with this one step at a time. Her brain started working out the steps. Call Angel. Get dressed. Get Xander dressed. Call ambulance. She hesitated, then stood, draping the blanket over her for modesty. Cordy looked Xander over, being careful to restrict her gaze to his injured head. Maybe call ambulance should be first...

His eyes fluttered open, and their eyes met. The pain and confusion in his eyes were quickly replaced by guilty realization, and she had to look away. It was too soon to deal with what had happened. Better to just focus on the steps. Scanning the floor for her own clothes she spied Angel's pants and picked them up.

"Cordy?" Xander croaked.

"Are you okay, Xander?" she said, keeping her eyes carefully averted and holding out the pants in his direction.

"I'm...thanks..." he muttered, and she felt the pants tugged out of her hands. "You?"

"Yeah...listen, I'm gonna take a shower, and get dressed. Do you need to...?" Cordy said, still not looking at him. They had reached new heights of awkwardness.

"Yeah...I'll go..." she heard him grunt as he stood, then shuffle toward the bathroom.

"Good...and I'll call Angel and let him know what happened...the short version...and you'll be wearing your pants, which will be so very good." Resisting the urge to curl up in a ball and stay that way forever, Cordelia resolutely reached for the phone. Two things stopped her. The sudden knock on the door was one. The vision exploding in her head was the other.

*************

"He should have called by now."

It was the fifth time Angel had said the sentence, but Wesley had to acknowledge in his heart that this time it was true. Gunn should have phoned them by now. Wes didn't like this development any more than Angel did. He looked questioningly at Fred as she hung up the phone, frowning.

"He's not answering, Wesley. I'm getting that 'caller you are trying to reach is not available' lady talking to me, which is wrong. He should be available. Unless his phone battery went dead, cause that happens sometimes, right?"

"Right," Wesley said reassuringly. Angel was standing impatiently by the exit, and Wesley nodded. "Keep trying. If you get him, tell him Angel and I are on our way."

*************

Xander heard the knocking on the door become urgent pounding, and he hurried out of the bathroom. Seeing Cordelia sprawled in a tangle at the foot of the bed, he ran to her.

"Cordy? Cordy!" he asked urgently, getting only a groan as a response as he helped her sit on the bed. "Just a minute!" he yelled at the obnoxious door-pounder.

"Xander? It's Gunn. Let me in, man." Xander could only think about getting help for Cordy. Relieved to hear Gunn's voice he hurried to the door, not hearing Cordy's faint whisper.

"Xander. Don't."

*************

Angel took the sewer tunnels while Wesley took the car, but they arrived at almost the same time. Fortunately where the sewer came out was in enough shade for Angel to emerge without too much worry. Seeing that one of the doors was wide open, they approached cautiously. Looking in, Wesley breathed in sharply.

"Good Lord." He and Angel entered the hotel room, which was in total disarray. Gunn, Cordy and Xander were all sitting on the bed, holding matching icepacks to their heads. Gunn gave them a small wave.

"Hi guys," he said.

"Gunn, what happened?" Wesley asked.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked, addressing the question to all of them but clearly mainly meaning Cordelia.

"We're fine. Gunn got conked by a scrawny little girl vamp, Xander smacked his head on a lamp and I got a vision. It's Headaches R' Us in here and not an aspirin in sight," she sighed.

"Scrawny little girl vamp?" Angel echoed.

"She was tougher than she looked. I think she was one of Darla's, followed me here to get revenge or something. She knew where these two were and what was up with them. Made me knock on the door."

"I was about to answer it when Cordy grabbed me," Xander continued.

"I saw Gunn and the little Kate Moss wannabe vamp in my vision," Cordy interjected. Xander nodded.

"She starts playing charades with me, trying to tell me there's a vamp on the other side of the door."

"So we do this real 'Cops' kinda move, stand to the side of the door. Xander throws it open and Gunn comes flying. She thought she'd be throwing him into one of us, right? Then Xander grabs her and I stake her with the leg from what used to be that table before Xander destroyed it. Falling. Earlier," Cordy said. When she finished the story, she gave Gunn a quick pleading look, and he patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"Oh," Angel said. Everyone seemed to get uncomfortable at the same time. The room seemed to shrink, and Xander was the first to bolt for the door.

"So, we should get going," he said as he almost fled the room. Wesley came right behind him.

"Yes, we really should get the two of you out of here, and Gunn...do you need medical attention?" he called back. Gunn and Cordy hadn't yet moved from the bed.

"Nah, I think we'll live. Don't exactly want to have to explain this, you know?" Gunn said.

We should call the cops...when I went to the office to get ice I saw that the night manager apparently served as a vamp snack," Xander told Wesley solemnly. Angel paused in the doorway, looking back at the two people left in the room.

"You guys coming?"

"Right behind you," Cordy said. Gunn nodded, and Angel gave him a little grin.

"It's cause it was a scrawny girl vamp, right?"

"She wasn't that scrawny," Gunn grumbled. Angel left with a little laugh. Cordy touched Gunn's arm softly.

"Thanks for not telling them," she said as the two of them stood.

"Nah. It's totally our secret. No one but you, me and Xander needs to know that when you slayed that vampire you were naked as a jaybird."

"Thank you."

"No, really, thank you," Gunn said, then seeing her annoyed look, added hastily. "I mean for saving my life, Cordy. Not for...not that it wasn't worth thanking you for...I think I'm going to stop talking for a little bit here, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Cordy said sharply, taking one last shuddering look at the room before stalking out behind him. All the steps were almost completed, except for the massive amounts of bathing and showering she would be doing. After all the steps were done, came the dealing. She didn't even know how to begin that part.

*************

After Angel's call, Giles had been unable to sleep. He had sent Anya home and remained waiting for more news. Finally there had been another call, this time from Wesley, relating a proverbial good news/bad news situation. They had found Xander and Cordelia and they were safe, but there was no way to reverse the spell; it had to run its course. Giles wanted to explain the situation to Buffy and the two witches without Anya, so he had called at shortly after daybreak and arranged a meeting. Their residual sleepiness at the unnaturally early hour had allowed him to explain the situation without much interruption. He had kept a close eye on Buffy's reactions. As he had feared, the guilty look in her eyes told him she was blaming herself for Xander's unfortunate situation. He could understand it; he felt some measure of guilt himself, as Xander's presence in Los Angeles was a result of his request.

"Okay, can I just say, Darla? If the vamps keep coming back, think we've got to rethink the whole Slayer mission statement, Giles." The bitterness in her tone made him wince, but before he could comment Willow spoke.

"God, Xander and Cordelia...that is just so very, very bad. Poor Xander. And Anya! I mean, okay, Anya, not my favorite ex-demon, but...well, she probably is my favorite ex-demon, cause I don't think I know many...anyway, she must be so upset. And well, then I'm right back to poor Xander."

"How did Anya take it, Giles? When you told her?" Tara asked, concerned. Giles immediately began polishing his glasses, pretending that removing them made him both blind and deaf.

"Pardon?" he stalled.

"You didn't tell her," Buffy said with a hint of accusation. She looked at her two friends. "That's probably best. Xander and Anya need to work this out between the two of them. I think we should stay out of it as much as possible, other than to offer them our love and support."

"Yes, quite. That's a very astute..."

"Oh, and also you're a major big coward," Buffy interrupted with a hint of a smile.

"...obser-what? I am not a coward," Giles huffed. "I simply do not feel, as Anya's friend and employer, that it is appropriate for me to involve myself in her personal life."

"I totally get that," Buffy said innocently.

"Me too," Willow offered, and Tara nodded. Giles sniffed, mollified.

"Good, as long as that's settled."

"I'd be scared of her too," Willow smirked.

"Yeah," Tara agreed.

"Not so much when I had Slayer powers, but now? I'm not sure I could take her," Buffy admitted. Giles opened his mouth to protest again, then sighed. They undeniably had a point.

"But you said she was here when Angel called. What did you tell her?" Tara asked.

"I told her that Xander was fine, but he was doing something for Angel and wasn't available to come to the phone."

"Nicely dodged," Buffy said approvingly.

"And also the truth, in a kinda ewww way," Willow added brightly.

"So now we just have to wait for another phone call telling us that he's okay, and coming home," Tara summarized.

"Oh, God. What if he doesn't come home? What if he decides to hop a slow junk to China, or, or move to Mexico or something?" Willow fretted.

"I'm sure he'll come home, sweetie," Tara soothed. Giles polished his glasses again, replacing them tiredly.

"I agree. But Xander is in for some difficult days ahead. It's going to be up to us to help him deal with this. What happened here was not his fault, and we need to make sure none of us forget that."

They all nodded solemnly. They didn't know it, but Buffy and Giles shared the same thought.

*Not Xander's fault. Mine.*

*************

"Cordy?"

Xander poked his head into the hotel room. Hair still slightly damp from the shower and dressed in his own clothes, he looked almost like he had when she had first seen him the night before. Except that doomed look on his face hadn't been there. Cordy motioned for him to come in.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked. Xander shook his head.

"Yes. No. I'm working on it. You look...clean." Cordy made a face. She had taken the longest shower in history when they had gotten back to the Hyperion, and Xander's own shower was probably cold because of it.

"I am. Xander, can I say something?"

"Please."

"I think it's really best if we talk about what happened, right now. Just this once, and then never again, okay?"

"Okay. Where do we start?"

"Can I just share how I feel?"

"Okay," Xander said, bracing himself for recriminations. Cordy wasn't looking at him, but staring at a slight crack in the wall paint as if it were a work of art.

"What happened to us. I feel incredibly violated. Used, you know? I can't imagine anything more horrible then having your will taken away like that."

"I'm so sorry, Cordy. I never-"

"I said I felt violated, but not by you, Xander. You and I were victims in this, together. You didn't violate me, you didn't rape me." She took a deep breath, let it out, and looked him in the eyes. "You were...incredible."

"I was?" Xander asked. When she nodded shyly, he gave her a small but genuine smile. "You were, too. You were...amazing. I mean it." Cordy blushed.

"That thing you did...the one where you..." she trailed off, making a gesture that made his smile broaden.

"Oh, yeah, I know what you're talking about. You liked that, huh?"

"Uh-huh. Where did you learn that?"

"Anya," he answered, the word hanging between them. Xander got up and paced the room, clearly distressed.

"She'll understand, Xander."

"How? Why? I don't even understand!" Xander moaned.

"Then get Wesley to explain it to you. In vivid detail. Make sure you have all the facts totally straight. And buy lots of presents."

"And grovel?" he asked. She smiled.

"Like no one has ever groveled before."

"There's one other thing, Cordy. I don't know how to-"

"Just say it, Xander. This is honesty time, remember?"

"Yeah...ummm, with the spell and everything, I know that we...we didn't use any..." Xander's face was beet red, and Cordy's face fell as she realized what he was asking.

"Oh. Right. I hadn't thought of that."

"Yeah. So I just wanted you to know...Anya and I, we do. And I did with Faith, too."

"Oh. Me, too. I...well, it's really been a long time since I've...with someone who's actually a normal human guy, anyway..." At his startled look, she giggled nervously. "Not what you're thinking. Really."

"Oh."

"What I'm trying to say is, nothing to worry about on my end of things."

"Good."

"I was thinking...we shouldn't really talk or anything, you know, for a while. Till we get some distance...I mean, it's not like we were talking before or anything, so it shouldn't be hard." Cordy laughed a bit forlornly.

"Right. I don't think Anya would be too happy about me keeping in touch," Xander agreed, his eyes showing sadness. "But I wish...it was really good, getting to be friends with you again, Cordy. I'm going to miss that."

"I know," she said, then straightened, determined to end this with as much dignity as possible under the circumstances. "Is there anything else, do you think? Or can we officially close this subject forever?"

"I'm thinking it's closing time." Cordy nodded, and they exchanged a long look. In it there was a sense of loss, of something that might have been under different circumstances. But there was also a kind of peace with things as they were, and a genuine desire to see the other person happy. It was the closure that neither of them had ever had for their relationship, and it left them both smiling.

"Okay. You should get going, huh?" Cordy said finally, and Xander nodded. He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Take care of yourself," he said. She gave him her patented princess look.

"I always do," she responded. She grabbed his hand and their fingers interlocked gently, gradually coming apart as he backed away, till only their fingertips were touching and then not even that. She gave him a small wave and he was gone. She wasn't sure how much time had passed before Fred popped her head in worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Fred kindly asked. Cordy smiled at the physicist reassuringly.

"I'm gonna be just fine."

*************

"Everything's going to be okay," Xander said to himself as he walked down the corridor to his apartment as if it was the last mile. "I'm going to make it okay. How am I going to make it okay? I have no idea, but I am. I have to. So everything's going to be okay." Putting the key in the lock, he fell back, startled, as the door opened on its own and he suddenly found himself with very arms around his neck. And very familiar lips on his lips. Reflexively he kissed back, then pulled away.

"An," he started. "Hey-"

"Xander, come on!" she said as she hauled him into the apartment, slamming the door behind them. The packages he had purchased for her went flying from his hands and scattered on the floor. She looked at him with that strangely innocent sauciness he found unbelievably sexy. "I want to get the word part of the making up quickly, so we can move on the sex part. I'm sorry, Xander. I was wrong. Okay, your turn."

"You have no idea how sorry I am, Anya. About the...Anya!" Xander stopped, distracted by fact that she was undressing. She looked at him impatiently.

"Why aren't you removing your clothing?" she asked.

"Because we need to talk," he choked out.

"We did talk."

"There's more I have to...An, do you think you could, ummm, get dressed again and sit here with me for a minute?"

"I don't understand. Did something happen?"

"You could say that."

"Are you alright?" She noticed the scratches and bruises near his hairline for the first time and gasped. "You're hurt? Where are you hurt?"

"Not so badly, but I need to tell you what happened. Everything that happened." Xander bent down and looked through the scattered gifts, finding the text that Wesley had given him. He had simply asked to borrow it, but the Englishman had felt letting him keep it was the least he could do. When he turned around he was relieved to see Anya had gotten dressed and was sitting perched on the edge of the sofa, frowning in trepidation. She said nothing as he went through the entire story, although he felt her stiffen when he described the spell. He tried to stay as detached and clinical as possible, as well as general; details of the spells effects would only make things worse. When he was done, they sat in silence for a long time. Finally he looked at her, and saw she was crying. He went to put his arm around her shoulders and she shrugged it off.

"Anya, please. Say something. I know this is bad...really bad, but I...I love you. So much. Without you in my life, there's no reason...I want to marry you as much today as ever. Please tell me we can get past this."

"Xander," she said. "I'm not mad at you for having sex with Cordelia. You had no control over what was happening. I know this kind of spell, I even used it once or twice, before. You couldn't have stopped it." Xander was floored. For the first time he realized how lucky he was to be in love with an ex-vengeance demon. He smiled at her in wonder.

"My God, you're amazing," he said, again going to touch her and again having her move out of his grasp.

"I'm mad at you for going to L.A. after our fight. You promised me you'd never leave me like that. I thought...I was so scared we..."

"I know. Me too. I'm sorry, Anya. Never again. I'm never going to leave you like that again." He reached out to her and this time she fell into his arms.

"Are those packages gifts for me?" She sniffed. Xander smiled.

"They are. Part of the whole groveling act. Will they work?" he asked, smiling even more when he felt her relax against him more, snuggling a bit.

"Depends. Expensive?" Anya teased.

"Expensive and pretty. Couldn't find anything as pretty as my girl, though." Anya smiled, completely charmed. She kissed him fervently, and Xander returned the kiss in kind. He couldn't believe his luck, but he was relieved that things could finally get back to normal. He hoped Cordy would have the same luck with getting her life back on track. It could have been worse. At least the spell had no lasting effects.

*************

Angel pounded on the bathroom door, anxious.

"Cordy! Cordy, open the door!" Gunn and Fred exchanged worried glances and Wesley came over, drawn from the back by the noise.

"Angel, what's wrong?" Wes demanded.

"I think she's having a vision in there. I can hear moaning, but she's not answering," he said, going back to pounding. Fred drew Wesley aside.

"I don't think it's a vision," she murmured softly into his ear. At that moment Cordy threw open the bathroom door, almost knocking Angel off his feet. She glared at him, paler than normal but otherwise appearing to be fine.

"Do. You. Mind?" she shrieked. "Can't a girl get privacy around here? For things, bathroom-related things that are so totally not any of your business?" Angel looked chagrined.

"I thought something was wrong," he said. Cordy's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she pushed past him. She yelled at him without looking back as she hurried from the room.

"Just leave it alone, Angel. Leave me alone!"

"Fred, what do you know about this?" Wes said softly. Gunn and Angel both heard and turned their attention to the brunette physicist. Fred looked stricken.

"I think Cordy's been sick for the past few days," she drawled reluctantly. "Except...I don't think she's sick, exactly."

"I don't understand," Wes said. Angel turned away, his face set grimly.

"I do."

Before anyone could speak again, Cordelia had come back into the room, her mouth set in a determined line.

"I'm going," she announced. "I have an appointment."

"An appointment with?" Angel asked softly. She looked away.

"Someone who can help me with a problem," she said, stalking out the door before he could follow or say anything else.

"Okay, what is happening here?" Gunn asked. 

Angel looked at the three of them guiltily.

"I think Cordy's..."

*************

"Pregnant. Congratulations, sweetheart. You are positively glowing already, or at least your aura is...and the baby's aura? Can I just say, whoa momma!" Lorne helped Cordy down from the stage, taking exaggerated care. She shook him off.

"I know I'm pregnant. That's not why I'm here," she said miserably.

"I know that, princess. If I didn't, the mangling of Crystal Gayle I'm still recovering from was a telltale sign of an unhappy heart. I don't get many calls for 'Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue' from the blissful."

"I want to know why," Cordy said quietly.

"You want...ummm, didn't your mother ever explain those-" Lorne hedged. She glared at him.

"Not how, why. I'm sitting here getting all these visions to stop disasters from happening. Why didn't the Powers let me know about that spell? How could they do this to me? I'm not ready to be a mother!" Lorne reached out and took her hand gently.

"I don't pretend to know what the Powers have in their heads. If they even have heads. But I do know that the baby you're carrying is something special. Just like his momma."

"His? It's a boy?"

"Sorry. Spoiled the surprise," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. She smiled at him, the first hint of happiness in her eyes. "So, when are you going to tell Daddy he's a daddy?"

"I'm...I don't know if I should. This thing that happened to us, it could have ruined his life. He's getting married, he's really happy, and this...he doesn't deserve this."

"You're wrong," Lorne said. "He's going to be a father. He deserves to know that."

"How do I tell him?"

"I recommend using words. And I recommend using them soon. You just open your mouth and say..."

*************

"I need to talk to you," Cordy said the moment the door opened. The two women looked at each other in surprise. "I'm sorry. I thought...Xander...I'm sorry."

"No. Come in," Anya said graciously. "Xander's in the kitchen. I'll tell him you're here." Cordy entered the apartment, mentally kicking herself. She should have called first. She should have anticipated that Anya would be there. It was totally impulsive for her to just drive over here alone when she had gotten the address from Giles. Angel had come with her to Sunnydale, and she had known the ever-supportive vampire would insist on being by her side when she broke the news to Xander. Then he had seen Buffy. She had left the two of them together, glad to see that they were beginning to heal the breech that had developed between them. And she really wanted to handle this on her own. She saw Xander come out, holding his fiancée's hand, smiling a bit nervously.

"Cordy, hi. This is a surprise. Wow. What brings you to Sunnydale? Just visiting?"

"Actually I...kinda have something to tell you. It's kinda private," she said, nervously looking at Anya. Xander's grip on his girlfriend's hand tightened, and his smile faltered slightly.

"Does this have to do with what happened?"

"Yes."

"Then Anya can hear anything you need to tell me."

"Okay, if that's what you want. Ummm...you know how Wesley said the spell wouldn't have any long-term effects on us?"

"Why do I think this is bad?" Xander asked.

"What happened, Cordy?" Anya said, giving Xander's hand a pat. Cordy swallowed.

"Okay, I'm just gonna say it. Xander, I'm pregnant."

"Oh," Xander said, eyes wide in shock. Anya dropped his hands like they were on fire. "Anya?"

"I need a minute," Anya said shakily, then ran from the room. Xander didn't move. Cordy eyed him anxiously.

"Xander, are you okay? Can I get you something?" she asked. He shook his head slowly, as if moving it was really difficult.

"No, I'm fine. You're sure? Really, really sure?"

"What do you think?" Cordy snapped, the tension of the situation finally getting to her. He seemed to snap out of his daze, and looked at her closely.

"I think...I think I'm going to be a father. Wow."

"I know," Cordy agreed. "I can't believe I'm going to have a baby. And it's not a demonic pregnancy or anything."

"Yeah...what? Never mind. You're going to be an amazing mother," Xander said.

"Thanks. Listen, Xander, I know that this really complicates your life. I don't need anything from you. I'll be fine. We both will. I just thought you had a right to know."

"But I..."

"He wants to help. We both do," Anya said. Xander smiled at her with loving gratitude, and Cordelia's mouth dropped open in amazement.

"I thought you'd want me gone," she admitted. Anya nodded.

"I told you, I needed a minute. I'm not going to pretend I'm happy. I wanted Xander's babies to be mine, you know?" she said, faltering a bit. Xander put his arm around her, and she soldiered on. "But I'd never make Xander turn his back on his child. And if it weren't for you hating him so much, I never would have found him in the first place. So I owe you a lot."

"That's...you're just as amazing as Xander said you were," Cordy said sincerely.

"Xander said that?" Anya said, blushing a bit.

"He loves you a lot," Cordy said. Xander smiled at them both. In a way he would never have been able to articulate, he felt like something was falling into place. Despite the natural worry the situation gave him, there was something inherently right about this.

*************

The christening was held at night. In deference to the baby's godfather, the event was held in a church hall rather than the church proper, and only flowers and candles were decorations. A Wiccan priestess friend of Willow and Tara's officiated over the ceremony along with Father Rick, a local priest who had befriended the Scoobies and their cause and knew enough to make these unusual arrangements without question. Anya smiled at Xander as he and Cordelia presented their son. 

Xander was amazed at how quiet and alert the boy was throughout the brief ceremony. His heart was so full it overflowed in joyful tears. Looking around him, Xander could see that his eyes were not the only ones that were wet; even Spike seemed to be moved by the simple beauty of this new life. Xander looked around at these friends who had truly become his family, at his remarkable new wife, at the good friend who had performed this miracle, at Buffy and Angel, smiling shyly at each other as they pledged themselves as godparents. He looked down at his son, and whispered a pledge of his own.

"Francis Doyle Chase Harris, I promise you I'm going to keep you safe. I promise you'll always know you're loved and accepted. And I promise I'm going to give everything I have to make sure I'm the father you deserve." As if he'd understood, the baby they called Frankie looked up at his father and laughed. Xander laughed as well. 

He knew that life was only going to get more complicated from here in. But sometimes, the complications were the best part.

*************

Feedback is so very, very appreciated!


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